THE DEVILS’ PLAYLIST WANTS YOU

TO COME TO TONIGHT’s THROWBACK THURSDAY THROW-DOWN!

Come, listen to some great tunes, participate in or cheer on your peers in the lip sync battles and dance contests, have some pizza and milkshakes, and let loose before vacation. The event is a fundraiser for the newly formed BHS Slam Team, which is heading to the Louder Than a Bomb teen poetry slam and the Stories Live teen story slam. It’s going to be a great time.

Be there! 6:00 – 8:00 at the BHS cafeteria. $5.00 admission.

PLAYLIST POEM CHALLENGE

In honor of National Poetry Month, we are challenging all Devils to a PLAYLIST POEM BATTLE. To enter, write a poem that is composed primarily of song titles and/or song lyrics. Submit your poem to Mrs. Janovitz  (janovitz@bpsk12.org) by Tuesday, April 28th. A group of English teachers and poetry club members will serve as judges. The top three poems will be published here, and the winning author will receive a $20.00 gift card to Newbury Comics. Get writing, Devils! Remember, POETRY IS METAL!

Our very first TEACHER TUESDAY song, “Talk Shows on Mute” by Incubus, was chosen by English teacher Ms. Mckee and dedicated to her British Literature classes who are currently reading George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984. Incubus singer, Brandon Boyd, was inspired by the novel when writing the song. In an MTV.com article, Boyd stated that 1984 is a book that “scares you into vigilance,” and that it most definitely “scared [him], but in a good way.” In the world of the novel, the government—headed by an ominous, all-knowing figure: Big Brother—watches its citizens through the use of television screens. The book includes typical dystopian characteristics, such as the use of propaganda to control citizens, the restriction of independent thought, and the manipulation of information; however, this text in particular has had a great impact on readers since its publication in 1949.

Musicians from David Bowie to Thom Yorke of Radiohead have written songs influenced by the novel. Many of them indicate the book’s eerie relevance to our own society as the source of that influence. Boyd of Incubus stated that the novel is particularly relevant in our times “because it definitely seems like Big Brother is watching closer than he ever was.” When pondering our society and the way the media, television in particular, manipulates the masses and brings them to either a state of complacency or of urgency, he began to pen this song. He “realized that a time will probably come when television will watch us if we’re watching it.” He goes on to say that “television culture is at an all-time high or low, depending on how you look at it,” and Big Brother is using that culture. Whether it’s through bureaucratic control, corporate control, technological control, or pop-culture control, it can happen, and that fact has scared a number of musicians into reflecting on the possibility through song.

Ms. McKee is a fan of Incubus for their thoughtful, imagery-rich lyrics, and has used their songs in class to introduce and discuss various forms of figurative language. This song is definitely one that prompts serious reflection.

You can see the video for “Talk Shows on Mute” below. This video also incorporates very Orwellian themes. It shows a “world of animals, a world controlled by animals where the humans are the pets.” This idea is one explored in Orwell’s short novel Animal Farm. Incubus bass player, Ben Kenney stated that the video shows just how disgusting our own talk shows are – that they are used as a way “for people to look down at other people that are worse off than them.” The song and video will definitely make you think. Dig it, Devils!

Last night, John Stephens and Lonnie Lynn –better known as John Legend and Common–won an Oscar for their emotional song “Glory” from this year’s Academy Award nominated film Selma.  Beating out Tegan and Sarah’s amazing theme song, “Everything is Awesome” from The Lego Movie, and Glen Campbell’s career-capping song “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from the documentary Glen Campbell….I’ll Be Mine, which explores the famed singer’s battle with Alzheimers, “Glory” had some tough competition. Addressing the racial inequality America still faces, “Glory” is a song that brought tears to the eyes of the Oscar audience, including David Oyelowo who played Dr. Martin Luther King Junior in Selma. Common and Legend took the stage to perform the song, accompanied by a chorus slowly marching forward to reflect civil rights protestors, and were awarded the Oscar immediately following. While many believe that Oyelowo and Ava Duvernay, director of Selma, were snubbed by the Academy for not being nominated, and this year’s Academy nominations have been criticized for lacking diversity, “Glory” spoke to the struggle of African Americans and highlighted the consistent racial inequality painfully present even at the Hollywood ceremony.

Watch the awards ceremony performance, and their stirring acceptance speech to understand the immense power of the song and its relevance to contemporary American society.

Godsmack is an alternative metal band formed in 1995 in Boston, Massachusetts. The band recently released its sixth album, 1000hp. This is their first album after a four year break. Even though the members of the band changed frequently since they formed, Godsmack was able to become popular on the alternative rock and metal scene, winning several Grammy nominations and selling millions of records. While their popularity has  been at a steady decline  as a result of numerous hiatuses and side projects, they have never sounded better.  

Though the band may dodge the comparison, Godsmack’s “sound” is most similar to the music of 90’s alt-rock band Alice in Chains—a group they cite as a major influence. Other influences include classic metal and rock bands Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, and Rush. Godsmack’s newer albums have deviated from the grunge sound that permeated 90’s alternative rock, but the band continues to incorporate elements of classic heavy metal and strong, aggressive lyrics.

Godsmack has retained their fame primarily due to a flurry of iconic songs. “Keep Away” (1999) was one of the first Godsmack songs to propel the band’s fame. The song’s lyrics addressed the issues of deception and adolescence by implementing aggressive diction coupled with the singer’s empathetic tone. It is considered by many – fans and critics – alike to be one of the greatest rock songs ever released, due to its impressive guitar riffs and solos that sets the band apart from other artists in the alternative rock/metal genre. “Voodoo” (1999) is another one of Godsmack’s popular songs. It employs soft percussion and soothing guitar arrangements and references spirituality. The music video depicts sinister and mysterious scenes, which are reflective of the lead singer, Sully Erna’s, Wiccan faith. “I Stand Alone” (2002) is considered to be the song that brought Godsmack global popularity due to its iconic instrumental and lyrical qualities. The guitar riff begins slowly and eerily , but quickly transitions into a Metallica-style ‘chugging’ — when the guitar sounds like a percussion instrument. By the end of the song, they transition back into the slower, uncanny rift from the beginning of the song. Instead of being somber, the singer delivers the emotional and hard-hitting lyrics with confident and straightforward deliveries, which makes the song effective in conveying its message.

The album 1000hp highlights components of the songs which make Godsmack the band it is, but it also deepens the scope of the band’s music with the addition of other elements. The title track, “1000hp” has the booming guitar riffs characteristic of Godsmack, but it also includes narrative lyrics instead of abstract ones. It tells the story of the formation of the band, but its booming chorus is reminiscent of tracks from the band’s influences, such as Nirvana. Both “1000hp” and songs such as “FML” contain punk elements in the choruses and in the guitar riffs, which is new. Some of the songs, like “Generation Day” are more unique, and, to quote Erna, are “artsy.” Others are more straightforward, like “Locked and Loaded.” While the album introduces new elements and styles to the band’s sound, it still retains the raw and aggressive qualities that made Godsmack the well-known band it is today. I would recommend this to someone who likes alternative and metal styles, but does not mind some deviation from the traditional metal experience.

I would rate 1000hp 4 out of 5 stars. The album contains many of the elements that make Godsmack Godsmack, but it does venture from their typical style into pop-punk and glam-metal/rock sounds. While the music itself was not bad, the album did not feel cohesive.

Emmure and The Acacia Strain have had a feud that has lasted a few years now. Not too long ago, the hatred between the bands’ frontmen, Frankie Palmeri (Emmure) and Vince Bennett (The Acacia Strain) resulted in a physical fight between the two. After their scuffle, they decided to put their differences behind them and stop being childish. Now, in 2014, they are shocking everyone by announcing the Eternal Enemies  tour together (named so for Emmure’s new album). I attended the kickoff show of the tour at the Worcester Palladium and was very pleased with the overall experience. The venue opened the doors to the side stage at 4:00 p.m. to let local bands play, but I’ll skip to the popular bands who are doing every show of the tour.

To start off the permanent lineup of the tour, rap-metal band Sylar from Queens, New York hit the stage and did an excellent job at opening the night with high energy and catchy breakdowns, rapping, screaming, and turntable scratching. The lead singer had an energy to him that really made it obvious he cares about what he does. The backup clean vocalist, however, did not really shine too well with his screechy, untrained vocals. After Sylar, metalcore/hardcore band Kublai Khan hit the stage with a high string energy that made the crowd explode with great feedback. People were jumping around, moshing, and crowdsurfing. For a somewhat uninteresting band with not much variety in their sound, they really know how to get a crowd to go wild. After Kublai Khan, Fit for a King took the stage with a very solid performance. Not being familiar with them, I didn’t really engage in their set as I did with the other bands, but needless to say, they still put on a great show.

Finally, it was time for the first headliner, The Acacia Strain, to start. As we waited, the people around me all told me to watch my back, as people “lose their minds” to The Acacia Strain, and being their home show (they’re Massachusetts natives), people were going to “go nuts” even more. The moment the band started started, a mosh pit the size of the entire floor broke out, and didn’t stop until they walked off stage. Having a love for moshing, I always participate in the pit, but for the first time ever, the pit was far too violent to join. While The Acacia Strain blessed the audience with their low-tuned, breakdown-filled, brutal music, I watched as people left the pit covered in blood, sweat, and black eyes. Frontman Vince Bennett’s growled vocals shook the room the entire set with its low pitch, hatefully wonderful sound, while the guitarists, bassist, and drummer completed the absolutely brutal ensemble.

After The Acacia Strain, it was time for the main headliner, Emmure to start. The moment they entered the stage with their controversial new track, which is too offensive to name in this review, the room resonated with their breakdowns, screams, and offensive lyrics. Their blend of deathcore with nu-metal and hip hop influence made it a truly fun set. Although they receive a lot of negativity for their offensive lyrics and lack of complexity in their music, they really know how to set an audience off and receive high energy feedback from a crowd. Their set covered classics from their early albums, all the way to songs off their newest release, Eternal Enemies. The vast collection of songs they played caused an energy that lasted from beginning to end. The tired, sore, and ear-ringing, hour long drive home on the mass pike was definitely worth the great night of moshing, crowdsurfing, and going wild.